Every year in every division there is a team the fails to live up to expectations. Over the last two seasons it has been pretty glaring as a team each year has stacked up on big name free agents, but then failed to produce on the field. In 2012 it was the Miami Marlins and in 2013 in it was the Toronto Blue Jays. They weren’t the only notable teams to crash and burn, though, because as I mentioned before every division has one, and in the AL West it has been the Los Angeles Angels for two years in a row now.
This season, though, the Angels may have finally addressed the true needs of the team instead of just adding a power hitter to improve an offense that was already good, and are looking like they could take the next step. They could still be the team that disappoints, though, because if Albert Pujols cannot return to form after offseason surgery and Josh Hamilton starts off as slow as he did in 2012 this team could be in trouble again.
An offseason trade brought the Angels just what they needed, cheap starting pitching depth, but in that trade they sent away the one power hitter other than Mike Trout that was continually producing while Pujols and Hamilton struggled. While Mark Trumbo was expendable because of the need for arms and the fact that the other two aren’t going to be going anywhere anytime soon, his loss in the lineup could be huge for this team. They also filled a need at third base this offseason with a trade of Peter Bourjos that brought back David Freese. While Freese can be dangerous, he hit 20 home runs with over 70 runs scored and knocked in in 2012 while hitting .293, he fell off big time in 2013 and that is why the Cardinals were so willing to trade him.
They aren’t the only team with high expectations that could be ready to disappoint in the AL West, though. The Seattle Mariners overhauled their offense in the offseason before the 2013 season hoping for an improvement on their fourth place finish and only 75 wins in 2012, but they failed. In 2013 they not only finished in fourth place in the AL West again, they even lost four more games than the year before. That caused them to again overhaul the offense with the hopes of again making an improvement.
In the biggest surprise of the offseason they landed the best free agent when they landed Robinson Cano to man second base for them for the next ten years. To build around him they signed free agent Corey Hart who can play outfield, first base or fill the designated hitter role, and while he has an injury history he could be protection for Cano. They also traded away up-and-coming reliever Carter Capps to the Marlins for Logan Morrison who also plays the same positions as Hart and could also protect Cano, but had been labeled as a bust. With these three additions added to a solid core of young players the offense should be better, should being the key word.
The problem, though, could lie in the starting rotation. The top two in the rotation were the best one-two duo in all of the American League, but after them there is a huge drop-off that is going to be filled by youngsters with little experience at the big league level. If these kids, mainly Taijuan Walker can produce at the level they have shown in the minors they could be alright, but the odds are not in their favor.
In the end, either team could continue to underperform expectations, but I finally expect the Angels to take the next step and the Mariners to be the team that disappoints as they follow the mold of the Angels from the last two seasons. Eventually the M’s will find the right pieces to surround Cano in the lineup and Felix Hernandez rotation, but 2014 will not be the year.